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  • Tambuwal Flags Off Distribution Of About 6,000 Motorcycles Loan

    Tambuwal Flags Off Distribution Of About 6,000 Motorcycles Loan

    By Muhammad Ibrahim, Sokoto

    Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal today flagged-off the distribution of 5,714 motorcycles as loans to Sokoto State civil servants.

    Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Tambuwal said the incentive is a further testimony of his firm commitment to the enhancement of service delivery by workers.

    At the venue of the distribution the Governor explained that considering the difficult economic situation confronting the nation, the Government has decided to provide a tax waiver on the procurement of the motorcycles to be distributed.

    The release issued to newsmen by Bello Muhammad further explained that as a result the loans, facilities were also subsidized by 30% thereby significantly reducing the unit cost of N350,000 per motorcycle.

    He said his administration have been proactive in devising strategies aimed at catering for the needs of the Civil Servants in the state since he took over the mantle of leadership.

    According to him, his Administration, has since its inception in 2015, pursued articulated and people oriented policies and programmes that are implemented successfully because the workers are adequately supported.

    ”We have, in this regard, endeavored to provide all that is required to propel good governance through the optimal performance of the civil service machinery.”

    He explained that, as a government, his administration, is not unaware of the critical role of civil servants in propelling the machinery of governance and service delivery to the people.

    “Alhamdulillahi, our efforts and achievements in this regard are glaring for the record and have impacted positively on the efficiency and productivity of the Service,” the Governor said.

    He also listed some of the notable achievements of his administration in the Civil Service sector as: sponsorship of workshops, seminars, in-house trainings, retreats and induction courses for workers in partnership with professional institutions such as the National Institute of Management (NIM) and Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) among others.

    Others are: special computer training for all civil servants with a minimum of SSCE qualification,
    prompt payment of salaries, allowances and pension, swift implementation of the new national minimum wage with consequential adjustments and the implementation of revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for our medical doctors.

    More achievements that the Governor listed are: the implementation of the Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Education Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS) for academic and non-academic staff of our tertiary institutions; renovation and equipping of the Civil Service Club and provision of a functional gymnasium at the club and the reintroduction of the State Merit Award, where hardworking civil servants are rewarded.

    Equally, he stated that his administration had completed and allocated the Kalambaina Housing Estate to civil servants on owner occupier basis, just as all Government quarters to occupants were sold to many civil servants at subsidized rates.

    Along that line, the Administration,Tambuwal noted “is working with Family Homes Funds Ltd. to construct over 5000 houses for civil servants and other deserving people in the state.

    The Government, he added, is also facilitating the establishment of a state-owned Public Service Institute, billed become operational in the first quarter of 2023, for continuous training and retraining of workers for effective performance.

    He called on the beneficiaries of the loans to reciprocate this gesture by utilizing the motorcycles to improve service delivery at their respective duty posts.

    In his remarks, the Head of Service, Abubakar Muhammad (mni), said whereas many administrations in the country nowadays rarely bear their statutory responsibility as a result of economic down turn, the Sokoto state government has gone extra miles to provide not only the workers emoluments but added more inceptives in order to boost productivity in the state civil service.

    Noting that the support of state government is giving to the state civil service in many area is enormous, Abubakar added that, the civil service, and personnel costs takes more than half of the state’s monthly earnings.

    Despite that, the Head of Service, said every month no worker in the state civil service is owing any salary up till this month of October.

  • Security Council Considers Nationwide Ban On Motorcycles, Mining Activities

    Security Council Considers Nationwide Ban On Motorcycles, Mining Activities

    The National Security Council on Thursday announced that it is considering a nationwide ban on motorcycles and mining activities in the country as part of its strategy to curb terrorist activities, checkmate loopholes and cut off their sources of funding.

    This was the outcome of the meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja.

    Addressing state house correspondents after the meeting chaired by the President, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami stated that investigations are still ongoing especially to establish the correlation between mining and motorcycles which they suspect provide funding for the supply of arms to the terrorists.

    Malami who noted that terrorists had moved from the conventional ways of funding their activities to mining and ransom taking, disclosed the government was not unaware of the economic consequences of the proposed resolutions, particularly the motorcycle ban but it has become imperative in order to guarantee the nation’s security.

    Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior, Aregbesola, speaking on the attack on Kuje prisons detailed that despite the extensive intelligence gathered before the onslaught, the attacks succeeded due to “there was no will to act.”

    He also revealed that President Buhari had received a report on the preliminary investigation of the Kuje attack and officers who have been found to renege on their responsibilities would be punished.

    Terrorist groups, in particular in Nigeria, are increasingly interested in controlling areas of production of gold

    The opportunistic nature of these activities ties strongly to the fact that gold is often the favoured mineral of the terrorist groups as many of these groups use this to secure a source of funding for future operations.

  • Insecurity: Niger Govt Bans Sale Of Motorcycles Across State

    Insecurity: Niger Govt Bans Sale Of Motorcycles Across State

    Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, has ordered the immediate ban on the sale of motorcycles across the state.

    This follows the incessant security challenges in parts of the state, in addition to the demands for motorcycles as ransom by bandits and kidnappers in recent times.

    The Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Matane, announced the ban in a statement on Saturday in Minna, the state capital.

    He explained that the state government announced the additional measure to eradicate the activities of criminals and tackle bandits and kidnappers who have continued to attack innocent residents in the state.

    The government, Matane stated, has condemned in strong terms the degree of carnage and pandemonium bandits and kidnappers have caused in some parts of the state and reiterated its continued determination to rid the state of any security threat.

    “Government is aware of the inconveniences the measure would cause the people, but the decision was taken in the overall interest of the state and appeals to the dealers of motorcycles across the state to cooperate with the directive,” he said.

    The SSG also called on the people of the state to cooperate with the security agencies on the measures put in place to put an end to the activities of criminal elements, saying it was for the benefit of all and sundry.

    He said the government has also ordered security agencies in the state to ensure effective and strict compliance and enforcement of the ban.

    Similarly, Matane reaffirmed that the activities of commercial motorcycle riders, popularly known as okada or Kabu-Kabu in Niger, as well as the operation of illegal garages, remained banned in Minna metropolis and its environs.

    The ban comes after the state government restricted the movement of all motorcycles from 6pm to 6am – a directive that is still in force.

  • Lagos Govt To Launch Buses To Replace Motorcycles, Tricycles

    Lagos Govt To Launch Buses To Replace Motorcycles, Tricycles

    The Lagos State Government has announced that it would launch buses to replace motorcycles popularly known as Okada and tricycles known as Keke to ply inner roads in the state.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed this on Monday during a security stakeholder’s town hall meeting in Ikeja, adding that over 500 minibusses would be deployed next week.

    He said the move is to alleviate the pain residents of the state go through following the restriction of motorcycle and tricycle operations.

    “We are excited to announce that next week, we will be launching what we term the ‘Last Mile Buses’ that will ply inner roads and safely get commercial passengers to their final destinations,” he said.

    “We envisage deploying over 500 of these buses to alleviate the pain associated with the restriction of motorcycle and tricycle operations.

    “We also envisage that this initiative will also generate employment opportunities for Lagosians, including the commercial motorcyclist operators, who will be employed as operators of the Last Mile Buses.”

    The governor said his administration would relaunch the State Residents Card very soon, to ensure that the database of Lagos residents is kept up to date.

    According to him, the database will form a critical part of the state’s security architecture, noting that it will ensure that the government knows who is who, at any point in time.

    On cultism-related activities, Sanwo-Olu recalled that he “recently signed into law the Prohibition of Unlawful Societies and Cultism Act of 2021.”

    He said the move was necessitated by the fact that criminal gangs have been unleashing violence and causing mayhem in and around the state.

    He added, “The law prescribes a 21-year jail term for convicted cultists. The new law strengthens the penalties applicable to cultists, and expands coverage to the entire society, unlike the old law which was restricted to cultism by students of tertiary institutions.

    “With the passage of this new law, it will help in widening the dragnet in the hunt and prosecution of these nefarious gangs intent on sowing fear and chaos in the State.”

  • Benue Security Council Bans use of motorcycles in three LGAs

    Benue Security Council Bans use of motorcycles in three LGAs

    The Benue State Security Council has banned motorcycles in Katsina-Ala and Ukum Local Government Areas of the state.

    However, tricycles, (Keke Napeps) and other means of transportation will be allowed in the two local government areas.

    The State Security Council also mandated that apart from the revenue collection points at the head bridge in Katsina-Ala, no other revenue point is allowed within the local government area.

    According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Internal Affairs and Special Services, Uyina Matthew, the decision was reached as a result of the security situation in the state.

    “Security operatives have been mandated to arrest defaulters and impound their motorcycles,” Matthew said.

    He added that: “All staff of the Board of Internal Revenue Service, BIRS are required to wear customized jackets and identity cards.

    “Security agents are mandated to dismantle all illegal revenue collection points and makeshift shops. In the same vein, loitering at Katsina-Ala head bridge is prohibited.

    “Loading and offloading of vehicles at Takum Junction and Katsina-Ala head bridge has also been prohibited.

    “Law-abiding residents of the affected areas are advised to go about with their normal activities without fear”.

  • NPHCDA distributes motorcycles, laptops to immunization Frontline workers, ensure no child is left behind- Dr Shuaib

    NPHCDA distributes motorcycles, laptops to immunization Frontline workers, ensure no child is left behind- Dr Shuaib

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    In an effort to boost routine immunization in the country, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), has commissions 456 laptops and motorcycles.

    The laptops and motorcycles are meant to support frontline health workers in states that are not doing well in immunization coverage.

    The motorcycles and computers are also meant to enhance the Routine Immunization Officers’ ability for supportive supervision of service providers, and support the generation and on-site utilization of programme data to continuously improve the quality of the immunization programme in Nigeria.

    The World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), supported the initiative.

    Speaking at the commissioning ceremony in Abuja, weekend, the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, applauded the World Bank and WHO for the support, stressing that the COVID-19 lockdown had dramatically affected routine immunization and indeed, Primary Health Care (PHC) services in the country.

    “We experienced a situation where the lockdown prevented people from being able to access primary healthcare centres. So, there was a decline in practically all primary health care services.

    “As at the last time we checked our data, we have now started to see that PHC services, especially, routine immunization, is going back to the levels that they used to be before the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Never before in the history of Nigeria have we seen more than a doubling of routine immunization coverage within such a short period.

    “Today, as we try to improve and get even beyond where we are today, we are donating these motorcycles and laptops to frontline workers.

    “Only three years ago when we declared a state of emergency on the low routine immunisation coverage, we also recognised that it was going to take more than rhetoric to make sure that we achieve our ambition of ensuring that no child in Nigeria is left behind when it comes to getting all the vaccines that they need to grow into healthy and productive adults in our society.

    “This is why we are working with the World Bank and our partners; we decided to ask ourselves why routine immunisation has been so poor. We realised that there was a need for us to provide frontline workers with the tools that they need.

    “The tools that they need is part of what we are giving out today in terms of making sure that they have the logistics to get to the last mile, making sure that they have the equipment to be able to manage data,” Dr. Faisal, said.

    He, however, disclosed that his agency has, in the last two years, reduced the difference between administrative data and survey data to less than 20 percent.”

    Speaking while commissioning the laptops and the motorcycles, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, maintained that primary health care is the foundation of the health system of any country.

    He commended the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal, for the success recorded in the agency since he assumed office.

    “It thus gives me great pleasure to see the NPHCDA pursuing its mandate to implement a system-wide plan to enhance the immunization programme and ramp up coverage especially in poor performing states, to accelerate achievement UHC objectives which I commend.

    “A particularly important part of improving immunization service delivery is the provision of logistics management support which will improve accountability, supportive supervision, demand generation and assurance of vaccine availability and access in the target states,” Ehanire noted.